FAWN 🍂 21
   Something doesn't feel right, or maybe I'm just paranoid. Whatever it is, it's making me uneasy.
   I take a deep breath and put on the Tango dress that Zevadiah bought me yesterday in Taiwan. I feel ashamed that he paid for everything on our trip and I didn't contribute a single peso.
   He let my family stay at his grandparents' house; he even spent his money on the trip. What did I do in my past life to deserve someone like him? Did I save a million people or even stop a war in my past life? I don't feel like I deserve someone like Zevadiah in my life. Normal people would keep their distance from me if they knew both my parents were divorced and I was physically abused by my stepfather. But Zevadiah is different from how normal people usually react to my situation and what I've been through.
   My hands tremble as I focus on changing into the dress. I close my eyes, trying to push away the memory of ‘that night.’
   "No, don't let it control you, Fawn De Los Santos. Pull yourself together. Focus," I say, repeating the same words when a knock on my cubicle door startles me. I open my eyes.
   "Liebsti, are you okay in there? Do you need a hand?" I hear Zevadiah's voice outside. Slowly, I calm down.
   "Give me a sec," I say after putting on the dress. I open the door before taking a look at his attire, from his head to the tip of his black shoes, which he usually wears for Tango. The black pants are straight-cut and made from fabric that allows for ease of movement. His black long-sleeved silk shirt looks good on him, but I can't help but notice that three buttons are undone, or maybe he forgot to button them, revealing a glimpse of his bare skin.
   I hear a light chuckle before I look up at his face. "Do you like what you see?" His gaze drops to his outfit, and he undoes the fourth button in front of me.
   I immediately step closer, "Put it back, Zev. It's not good for people's eyes," He looks at me, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
   "However, it seems to me that you like how revealing my attire is to you. Have a feast, Liebsti." I almost roll my eyes at his words when he leans in closer to my face. I can feel his breath against my face, making me unable to move. "But you, I'm trying not to kiss you right now because of how astonishingly captivating you look in that dress. I'm holding onto my sanity and keep reminding myself that I promised your mom and Arlo to court you after you graduate from college, so I'm stopping myself from kissing you on your lips every single day," I gasp at how close his face is to mine. "Now close your eyes for me," he adds.
   I furrow my brows but obey him. I'm startled when he wraps his arm around my waist and pulls my body against him. "Zevadiah, what are you doing? I still need to do my makeup for our performance." I don't even know how much time is left. I feel his lips brush against my forehead, then a finger slowly tracing circles on my back. There it is again. That foreign feeling in my stomach. "Let go of me, or we won't be able to perform the Tango. We need to go back inside the classroom for my makeup, Zev," I say, still keeping my eyes closed. I can't help but smell his scent, god, he always smells so nice.
   "I wish I had enough time with you, Fawn," his grip on me tightens before I open my eyes and hug him back, burying my face in his neck.
   "You're leaving me, are you?" I ask in a whisper.
   "I don't want to leave you."
   "But you have to," his palm on my back slowly strokes up and down before he pulls away. He puts a finger on my chin, making me look at him, meeting his sea-green eyes.
   He nods slightly, "I have to." I don't want him to leave me now that I'm getting used to his presence, but this isn't his time. Zevadiah is from the future.
   "We'll talk after class," I tell him, even though it feels heavy knowing the day will come when he leaves me. I smile faintly, concealing my true emotions so he won't see them.
   His free hand cups the side of my face and slowly goes to the side of my neck. His finger on my chin brushes the side of my lips. "I think I know why I love you. It's not about love at first sight," I raise an eyebrow at his statement. "I love you for no reason, Fawn De Los Santos," he says.
🍂
   I quickly change my dress inside the cubicle after we perform the Tango on the ground floor. Tango emphasizes elegance and practicality, while the Rumba embraces sensuality and vibrant colors. So, I quickly change into a purple backless dress. I even change my heels into the two-inch ones before heading back to the ground floor. I also wear earrings and bracelets, unlike the Tango outfit I wore earlier. When I see Zevadiah standing to the side, I approach him while the Foxtrot group performs. He hasn't changed his outfit from earlier and he's busy talking to Elio, Felly's Waltz partner.
   He must have noticed my presence because he turns to me, "Hey, Liebsti," he pulls me closer, his hand on my bare back, and then looks back at Elio. "Yeah, call me when and I'll show up." he tells Elio, who nods faintly and leaves before he turns back to me.
   "Do you have anything on tonight?" I ask in a whisper.
   "Elio needs a drummer for their band; he'll update me when they practice and perform. But for tonight, nothing," he's about to say something else when Mrs. Creus interrupts.
   "Okay, Rumba partners, don't disappoint me. Rizal and De Los Santos, you're in front." Zevadiah finally pulls me to the ground floor facing the small crowd and my classmates.
   "Go, dhai!" I hear Felly yell from the crowd. I wink at her, and she gives me a flying kiss, just like she did while Zevadiah and I performed the Tango a few minutes ago. Rumba partners will be the last group to perform this afternoon for Mrs. Creus' class.
   "Ready?" Zevadiah asks. I nod slightly while he stands close to me.
   "Ready," When the music starts, I pour myself into dancing the Rumba, just like we practiced in the previous days. Somehow, it feels different when he touches my bare back. After our performance, catching my breath, the small crowd applauds us. I'm glad it's done; I can change my dress now.
   "You all did an amazing performance. Now it's time for group pictures," I groan when Mrs. Creus announces it. I hear Zevadiah chuckle at my reaction, so I frown and look at him. 
   When the picture-taking is finally over, I head to the room. I take my uniform with me inside the cubicle, rinse my makeup off my face, change back into my uniform, and then leave. I almost have a heart attack when I open the door and see Felly standing outside.
   "Oh shit! Dhai! I'm going to get a heart attack early because of you. You're scaring me!" I punch her arm slightly; she winces and rubs her arm.
   "Ouch. You know you have a heavy hand, but you're lucky I love you, so I tolerate your punches," she pretends to be dramatic, but then her face turns serious. I'm surprised; Felly rarely uses her serious expression when she's with me.
   "Hoy, dhai, is something wrong? Why are you suddenly serious? Is something bothering you? Tell me," I ask curiously, and she takes a deep breath.
   "I'll tell you after our class," she says slowly. I nod, and she hugs me tightly. I have a bad feeling about what she's going to tell me later.
   At 6:50 pm, Mr. Ramos finally finishes his lecture. Felly and I leave together, my arm around her as we head to the parking lot. I know Zevadiah is following behind us. I'm actually still sleepy; I only got a few hours of sleep last night because Zevadiah and I didn't get home from Taiwan until 1 am yesterday.
   We see Lucas in the parking lot, but he doesn't see us. So, Felly pulls me to the side, where Lucas can't see us, and turns to face me. "Dhai, I know this situation won't be easy after I tell you the truth," she glances around and lets the other students pass by.
   "Felly, just spill the beans already," Zevadiah suggests from behind Felly.
   She glares at Zevadiah from behind her. "Shut up, Zev. I'm not talking to you. Keep an eye out in case Lucas comes looking for us. Be the lookout," she says.
   Then she looks back at me. "Look, dhai, I'll stay at your house tomorrow night and the following nights too. But for now, I need to go to the police station with Shaun. Anya's missing, and I promised him yesterday that I'd go with him to report her missing after 24 hours. Whatever decision you make, promise that I'll be your best friend, through thick and thin, like I always have been," she says.
   I'm worried about Anya's whereabouts, but I have to look out for myself first. "I always know that, dhai. But please tell me what you want to tell me? I'm dying to know, don't keep me hanging. It's not healthy," I try to lighten the mood, but Felly remains serious. "Dhai," I pinch her arm. She's making me worry more.
   She looks me in the eye, "The reason why Lucas is here, why we're hiding from him, and what I've been wanting to tell you since earlier is because of one reason."
   "Please tell me what it is, dhai," I don't like this feeling, but I need to know.
   "Atlas Hidalgo is out of jail.”